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Cook County Board Resumes Meeting In Person

8/12/2021

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Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting
July 29, 2021

Board Action of Note:

Agenda Item 21-4358 Proposed appt. of Antara Nath Rivera to 4 yr. term on Board of Ethics. Moved to Legislation Committee
Agenda Item 21-4363. No late penalties for second installment of property taxes until after Oct. 2, 20201 due to delay in sending out bill. Received and filed.
Agenda Item 21-4303. Proposed amendment to the Procurement ordinance to require Chief Procurement Office (CPO) to make every effort to make a selection committee as diverse as possible. Referred to Finance Committee.
Agenda Item 21-4355 2nd Quarter Report from Inspector General. Received and filed.
Agenda Item 21-2488. Proposed Intergovernmental Agreement between Sheriff and Maine Twp to provide police car and off-duty police police officer for Wed. Through Sun. from 8pm to 1 am. Terms indicate this is at no cost to county. Discussion centered around liability to Cook County in such agreements. Sheriff’s representative stated they could have dialogue about it. Commissioner Sylvestri stated this has come up before, two meetings in a row and that answers are still needed. Commissioner Sean Morrisson stated it is common to ask for certificates of insurance in the high school townships with which he is familiar.

Other items of Interest:

Matters proceeded smoothly overall.
Public speakers held importance at this meeting. This portion lasted about one hour. One speaker was a representative from CAWC (Connections for Abused Women and Children. She is on the CC Women’s Commission. She stated a concern reported to have occurred yesterday that a woman arrived with her 3 children to Domestic Violence Court on Harrison and was prevented from entering the building. She was told they were closed. She was there for an Emergency Order of Protection. The CAWC representative stated the Court hours end at 1pm. Remote access and hybrid services are set to close August 16. Shelters are full so need has not decreased. Com. Daley stated that representatives from the Chief Judge’s Office and Circuit Court Clerk were needed to be called immediately to answer the many questions regarding this. A representative stated the Sheriff’s Office had no record of anyone being turned away. He was not sure if there are emergency judges available. There was further discussion later in the meeting when representatives became available. Commissioners expect 3 specific questions which they stated to be answered next week by Chief Judge’s office.
Agenda Item 21-4388 was a report filed by Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues that was received and filed today. The report was. Recommendations: Protections for Survivors of Gender based violence.
Matt DeLeon is retiring as Cook County Secretary to the Board where he served for 28 years. He will become County Historian; Cook County will have its bicentennial in 2031. Commissioners expressed their respect and gratitude for Mr. DeLeon’s significant contributions to more effective, transparent operations for the Board. There were statements of gratitude from Board members and a resolution passed honoring Mr. DeLeon .

Observer - Carolyn Cosentino Meeting Length: 4 hr 13 min

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Final Day of Cook County Board Mid-Year Budget Hearings

8/3/2021

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Cook County Board Finance Committee Mid-year Budget Hearings
July 21, 2021
Presentations by the Clerk of the Court, the Chief Judge, Independent Inspector General and Cook County Sheriff

Commissioner Daley has asked all Elected officials presenting their mid-year budget information to also state what their office/department has learned from the COVID experience over the last year.

Clerk of the Court - Iris Martinez

Martinez’ main goal is to do a “comprehensive review of the whole operation” and make changes necessary for more efficiency and transparency. She wants to “re-establish trust in the office.”
Two areas of concern are to complete the transition to the Odyssey Case Management System and to comply with any Shakman hiring issues. By the end of October, 2021, the case management system transition should be completed and should be certified by the Illinois Supreme Court by January, 2022. This will provide better access by the public and attorneys. Hiring will be more transparent in accordance with any Shakman requirements. Currently 218 more staff (mostly clerks) will be hired in two large groups. The office will still be understaffed according to the Chief of Staff.
Some general improvements to come are website improvement, easier access for Domestic Violence victims to get court orders, call center improvements including the calling of defendants to remind them of court dates.
“Goals” include more e-filings by attorneys (2,200,000) and an increase in the number of cases filed (495,000). Revenue is 10% higher than expected and expenditures are almost 9% lower than expected. Much of this has to do with COVID shutdowns of courts and also more efficiency in operations. Cost savings is a priority for Clerk of the Court Martinez. More can be done using technology rather than in-person—learned from last year’s experience.

Chief Judge - Tim Evans
Some details from the Chief Judge regarding the current budget year:

there is a 2% reduction ($5 million) in this year’s budget mostly due to COVID closures— under budget for hiring and contracts
no jury trials have been held during COVID except for emergencies
currently there are 76 courtrooms set up for jury trials and 10 for bench trials. 3 ft. social distancing will occur for jury trials (should start in October)
the AOIC (Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts) is giving $61 million to the courts—from COVID money at the federal level
unusual expenses were for Zoom licenses (400) used for hearings
during the past year, 128,00 “matters” were settled even though courtrooms were basically closed. This includes 13,000 guilty pleas and bench trials.

Lessons learned from COVID experience:

in-person court appearances are not needed for discovery, some hearings; but in-person is required for any situations where “freedom is in jeopardy”

Commissioner Comments:

Comm. Daley asked about the speedy trial requirement return and how many defendants are waiting. Also the number of defendants on EM or bail that have recommitted serious offenses. This was unclearly explained by Evans, however the gist was that there is “no proof” that the released do more crime. He indicated that all the information is on his website dashboard. This is cookcountycourt.org. Later on it was mentioned that Preckwinkle’s office has a group interviewing Evans, Sheriff Dart, and others to evaluate the EM program. A report should be released soon.
Comm. Aguilar contradicted Evans “data” on crimes committed by released defendants and said his community was worried about crime. Evans replied that all are presumed innocent until convicted. Aguilar also stated that child support is not being enforced.
Comm. Johnson was concerned about “isolation” use as a punishment for misbehavior at the JTDC (Juvenile Temporary Detention Center).
Comm. Lowry asked whether the elimination of cash bail will increase court budget/costs. No clear answer from Evans.
Comm. Degnan advocated for virtual meetings for domestic violence situations. This reduces trauma, time, etc. for women asking for court orders.
Comm. Miller asked about restorative justice courts in the south suburbs. These will be added soon. She also asked for data on Veterans and other specialty courts and indicated that many veterans don't know about these specialty courts.
Comm. S. Morrison questioned the $7 million increase in the budget. Evans indicated this was needed for Zoom room personnel and other jury services. Evans office currently has 2,550 FTEs and 599 vacancies. Evans desires a hybrid system using Zoom and in-person in the future.
Also asked was what the process is for deciding who gets out on bail, no-bail, or EM (Electronic Monitoring). Evans said “mitigating circumstances”—presumption of innocence, proof not evident, no clear and present threat, no lengthy criminal record, self-defense, vulnerable to COVID are all reasons someone could be released even though they are accused of a violent or gun crime. Stated that 1,287 defendants are in jail for murder and less than 100 murder defendants are out on EM.
The issue of mental illness was brought up with regard to so many defendants needing mental health services. Morrison advocated that this issue be addressed by the State of Illinois.

Independent Inspector General - Patrick Blanchard

The office has filled 5 open slots (including promoting 1) and has just 1 unfilled position of the Deputy Inspector General
Comm. Anaya asked whether the result is improved turn-around time for cases. IG Blanchard said “yes.” He reminded the Commissioners that his office has a triage system for determining which potential cases are the most important and which ones have sufficient evidence to warrant going forward. Last year there were 800 contacts made to his office, and the office also can and does open cases on its own.
The IG was asked about appeals from the cases included in his quarterly reports. The IG explained that the office only has the authority to make recommendations to an official or department. So if someone disagrees with the implementation of the recommendations of the IG, the person needs to contact the applicable department or official.

The Office of the Cook County Sheriff - Deputy Sheriff

The office began with a presentation on the past and current status of COVID cases within the County Jail, which the office believes has been wrongly depicted as a “hot spot.” In the Spring of 2020, there were 307 cases, which was 6.9% of the total Jail population, compared to much higher percentages in the general population. Similarly, the highest number of cases was on December 13, 2020, with 375 inmates testing positive, or 6.8% of the Jail population. As of July 21, 2021, the 7-day average was only 0.2%, or only 2 positive cases. And these two inmates entered the Jail with COVID.
Currently, 55% of the Sheriff’s employees are vaccinated, despite many efforts to incentivize the staff to get vaccinated. 61% of the eligible detainees are vaccinated currently. There is frequent testing of the non-vaccinated.
The office expects to remain within the 2021 budget, thanks to the funds that came from the Federal government last year and this year.
752 detainees have been convicted and should be in the State prison system. Of these, 394 are eligible for parole hearings, and the Sheriff wants those to take place. Comm. Daley asked about the dollar amount owed by the State to the County for housing these inmates that have been convicted. The Sheriff’s Deputy said that the State wants to establish a rate of $50 to $70 per day, but the Sheriff says it has to meet with the County’s Budget Dept. to establish the appropriate rate.
The Sheriff’s employees are exhausted from the past year and a half. It has been difficult to keep up with attrition through new hires. The Deputy Sheriff emphasized the large number of positions that have been reduced over the years and more positions are needed, including more monitors for those released on electronic monitoring. The office is working with the University of Chicago to identify ways to better manage the electronic monitoring.
Comm. Britton said he would like to expand training within the Jail so people can connect to jobs upon release. The Commissioner identified a large impediment to that is the issue of transportation from Chicago to the suburbs where some of these jobs are, particularly in the food industry.
Comm. Johnson asked about whether there are metrics for evaluating policing efforts, particularly the Sheriff’s partnering with Chicago on drug trafficking. The Deputy explained that the Sheriff had an internal research office that does such evaluations and there are weekly reports.
Comm. Silvestri asked about what long-term costs might be expected. The Deputy Sheriff explained that being able to open shuttered Jail buildings was critical for providing separate spaces for prisoners during this pandemic. The office was very complimentary of the Asset Management Bureau for quickly repairing and bringing these shuttered buildings up to code so they could be used. The Office said that having that capability to reopen buildings could be a continuing need.
Comm. Anaya asked whether there is any evaluation of the effectiveness of electronic monitoring. The answer was that Urban Labs is finishing up just such an evaluation, which report should be ready shortly.
Comm. Anaya and Moore brought up the mental health facility in Roseland that was established in 2017 as an alternative to incarceration in the Jail. Comm. Moore urged that the County look to establish similar programs in Chicago.

Observers - Karin Hribar and Priscilla Mims

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Cook County Board Resumes Meeting In Person

Final Day of Cook County Board Mid-Year Budget Hearings

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